DENVER (KDVR) — Colder temperatures have arrived and that means it is time to start winterizing your home.
In order to avoid costly repairs to your sprinkler system, it is important to prepare now for the winter months.
Colorado State University Extension said that when temperatures hit 32 degrees and below, water will expand as it turns to ice and that can cause pipes and fittings to burst, valves to crack, and sprinkler and pump cases to split open.
Winterizing your sprinkler system
Some sprinkler systems have different types of drainages, they can be automatic or manual.
If you have a manual drainage system, here are the steps to take, according to Home Depot:
Shut off the water supply to the system.Then, look for the manual valves at the ends and low points of the piping. Open all the valves and drain the water from the system.Make sure you also drain the backflow device.
“Some sprinklers are equipped with check valves. These devices allow water to only flow one way. If you’ve got check valves on your system, try raising the sprinkler heads. This should let water drain out of those mechanisms. Once you’ve drained the entire system, close all the valves,” Home Depot said.
If you have an automatic drainage system, here are the steps to take, according to Home Depot:
Turn off the water supply.Briefly run one of the sprinkler heads to relieve the water pressure in the system.Automatic draining should begin, clearing the pipes of excess water.
“You may still need to drain the water between the shut-off valve and the backflow device. If the sprinkler heads are equipped with check valves, empty them separately,” explained Home Depot.
Professional lawn care services
If you would rather get professional help winterizing your home for winter, here are some of the top rated lawn care providers in the metro Denver area, according to Google reviews:
Always There Irrigation- 4.9 stars for 123 reviewsBednarik Sprinklers– 4.7 stars for 181 reviewsDenver Best Sprinklers, LLC.– 4.8 stars for 82 reviewsDR Irrigation– 5.0 stars for 45 reviewsGreen Mountain Turf Sprinkler Repair– 4.9 stars for 61 reviewsLawn Care Plus Inc.– 4.5 stars for 85 reviewsMile-Hi Sprinkler– 4.6 stars for 319 reviewsNationScapes– 4.8 stars for 839 reviewsNature’s Carpet Lawn & Sprinkler– 4.5 stars for 521 reviewsSmitty’s Lawn Sprinklers– 4.5 stars for 125 reviewsSprinklers Incorporated– 4.6 stars 668 reviewsSprinkler Pro’s Co– 4.9 stars for 168 reviews
The average date of the first freeze of the season in Denver is Oct. 7. The earliest first freeze on record was Sept. 8, 1962. The record for the latest first freeze was Nov. 15, 1944.
